Full Summary:

First Arc: Both Cedric and Viktor get dragged to Little Hangleton where they narrowly miss death thanks to accidental apparition by the Quidditch Star. Cedric finds it difficult to trust Viktor, however, as he thinks the other is a Death Eater. It's an accusation that's not to be taken lightly, and Viktor naturally hates the younger man for being ungrateful. But, stuck in a cabin high up in the mountains, they soon learn that, most of the time, there's more to people than meets the eye.

Author's Note: Non-canon, obviously. Here's my take on character development and the butterfly effect.

Chapter 1: The Battle at Little Hangleton

The Triwizard Tournament takes a nasty turn as the Cup apparates Cedric, Viktor and Harry to a desolate graveyard. Harry makes it out alive, but will Viktor and Cedric?

Cedric's ears rang as bang after bang shook the mangled gargoyle he was hiding behind. Dust choked him and made his eyes well with tears. His heart was in his throat. Blood poured down his elbows to his hands. Is this the end?

The night had taken a bizarre and terrible turn. The Triwizard Tournament have had its fair share of danger in its long history. More than a few have already died in its challenges. And so when he joined he had expected the worst and came prepared. But abduction, and the Dark Lord's return? This is all too much.

He was so close to claiming the victory, to finally ending the most challenging year he had gone through at Hogwarts. The Cup had stood on its pedestal, glittering and ringing faintly in the darkness of the maze. Harry and he had struck a deal. A Hogwarts victory. They had been walking towards it when Viktor stumbled from the hedges. Eyes glazed and expressionless, he had heaved himself against Cedric like a bull. Harry had tried to pull away the bigger boy who pinned him to the ground. And somehow, in the confusion of the jumble of bodies wrestling on the damp ground, Cedric had reached for the Cup.

Then there was nothing, except a hunched, mousy man on a top of a hill, a voice, a wand pointed at him, and a flash of bright green light.

Yet he lived.

It should have hit me. In my chest. But a different force had taken him, like a heavy fist slamming into his side, sending him tumbling down the rocky slope before the Killing Curse got him.

He had hoped that everything was just a particularly nasty dream, that somehow he was still in bed, sleeping until the day breaks, warm and bright. The thought afforded no lengthy refuge; the sting of the cuts and bruises all over his body felt much too real.

And now he was here, crouched low behind the remnants of a gravestone as curse after curse rained down on him from three Death Eaters. There was a resounding crack and the gargoyle's heavy head came crashing towards him. Leaping in time before the stone exploded on the ground, he sent a countercurse that hit a Death Eater squarely on his face. The mask he was wearing cracked and fell as he flew backwards, leaving him staring wide-eyed at the starless sky.

Harry. Where is Harry?

A great sphere of light erupted from the hilltop, enveloping the hooded men in a swathe of brightness. Slowly, it crept down the hill like a blanket of thick fog early in the morning. The ethereal light looked like mist, except it was alive with swirling white and silver. The Death Eaters descending stopped and looked back at the display distracted and confused. Hollowed echoes reverberated across the hill. They made the hairs on his arms rise, yet he found the voices strangely comforting.

Ghosts? A hand gripped his arm and he almost screamed. It was Viktor.

"Ve need to go."

Rivulets of blood gushed down across Viktor's forehead. His lips bled, his left eye swollen almost shut. A deep valley of wound ran down from his ear to his neck. The shoulder of the maroon sweater he wore was torn open, exposing the pale skin underneath. Yet amidst the wreck that was his body and the terrible pain, as Cedric imagined he must be going through right now, determination still burned fiercely in his eyes. There was a severity in his look, punctuated by his slim, sharp nose and piercing eyes. His square jaw seemed perpetually clenched, giving him a sort of constipated look that made him look unapproachable and intimidating.

Cedric had always thought of Viktor as a falcon, brooding and solemn. But now he just looked downright scary to him. What is this man?

He had almost forgotten what happened in the maze. But now he remembered it clearly. With wide eyes, Viktor found himself staring at the dangerous end of Cedric's wand. "I was right in being wary of you."

His gaze darted from Cedric to the wand pointed at his chest. "Ve do not have time for this. Ve need to leave before they remember that ve are still alive."

"You brought us here. Why should I trust you?"

"I vos not aware-"

"You attacked me. Twice. Even used the unforgivable spell." He remembered the excruciating pain that had snaked through every inch of him, how Viktor had watched with emotionless eyes as he lie squirming on the ground. "You probably would have killed me had Harry not stepped in."

"You don't understand."

Yet suddenly it was clear to him. No, it's not me they need. It's Harry. That's why he's there gazing at the Dark Lord himself while I'm here running away from his Death Eaters. Viktor had tried to deliver Harry-and only Harry-to the Cup...too bad for him that we both got into the mix. "You're in league with the Death Eaters," he murmured.

Viktor gritted his teeth. Anger flared in him as his jaw clenched and his lips curled. "I saved you, Cedric, why vould I-"

A bright flash erupted again, so dazzling and blinding that he had to shield his eyes even when had his back to the hilltop. Then, just as suddenly, darkness descended on everything. The voices were gone. A chilling rage pierced the silent night. And, as if by clockwork, the onslaught of spells resumed their assault.

"Expelliarmus!" Cedric caught the wand as it flew from Viktor's hand.

"Vot are you doing!"

It was him who took the other's hand this time as they ran into the forest. His heart was racing as he worked his way through the darkness and the tangled roots underneath. Thickets of honeysuckle brushed past him, their thorns nipping at his skin. They were leaving Harry behind, he admitted. Guilt threatened to flood him, but he pushed it away. We will go back for him. Tell Professor Dumbledore that You-Know-Who is back. Send reinforcements.

"Give me back my wand, Cedric. Ve cannot survive this vid just you," screamed Viktor above the ruckus. He was still getting dragged through the overgrown bushes.

Ignoring the older boy, he pointed his wand at the branches above. "Confringo!" Heavy branches tumbled down to the ground, creating a makeshift barrier that separated them from the army above. Soot and splinters covered his face, neck and arms-some even went into his mouth. He spat, then turned again, knowing not which direction to go. Moonlight filtered through the dense canopy of leaves above him. Even then, he could only see a few paces around him.

A rogue bolt punctured through the wall of debris. He felt the grip in his hand loosen. Viktor was lifted from the ground and thrown violently forward deeper into the gloom of the woods.

"No!" He screamed as the shadows swallowed Viktor. There were a muffled thud and the crunch of dried leaves. He scuttled forward to its direction.

His foot caught in an outcrop of rock, sending him tumbling down the slope. Pebbles bit his body, slicing across his hands and arms. A wet warmth flowed down across his chest. His wool sweater ripped as it snagged and tore against the rough forest floor. He propped up his hands, palms digging deep ruts in the soil as he willed himself to stop. Rolling over one last time, he slammed against something, his breath escaping him. Rust and salt burnt in his mouth.

He rolled over to his hands and feet, stomach violently churning, and retched. Tears welled in his eyes. Bitter liquid poured out of him. The world spun. The forest was alive with the din of the Death Eaters as they blast their way through the fallen branches. He wiped his lips with the back of his hands. Blood. Sweat. Tears. Vomit.

It was Viktor he had rolled into. His cold body lie sideways amidst rotten leaves and strangling roots. Such anger Cedric felt for this man. He wanted to punch him, to inflict more pain than what he imagined Viktor must be going through right now. But, studying the ruin that was his face, the dark splotches of skin that span his shoulder and chest, he found such cruelty not within himself. He blurted out an anguished "Damn you!" instead.

He hooked an arm around him, and in one heave had the older boy swaying limply by his side. Every second felt like years, every step seemed like a leap. He was tired, and truth be told he had no idea what he was doing, or where he was going. A village lay on the far side of the forest, he knew, having had glimpsed, from atop the hill, the bright pinpricks of light that dotted the darkness to the east. Alone, he could make a run for it. But with him lugging Viktor like this?

He could leave the man behind. On his own, he had more chances of escaping. Yet doubt lingered in the back of his mind. You didn't need to escape. If Viktor was with the Death Eaters, he will surely be rewarded for delivering Harry himself to the Dark Lord. Not hunted. Or were they tying up loose ends? He had no answer to that, but all the same, Viktor chose to save him. Why?

The ruckus rang louder and nearer. It won't matter for too long. He gently laid Viktor down on the ground, letting go of the questions that lingered in his mind. It won't matter now.

Shadows writhed and swayed in the forest as lights flashed and flickered behind. Shouts echoed from above. A bright red bolt cut through his left cheek. The air crackled and there was a sharp odour of decay. Instinctively, he cupped the wound with his hand and felt the warm blood trickle down his palm.

There was no way they would make it out alive.

This is it. This is the end. He wondered why he did not feel scared. Nor nervous, even. It felt as if he was a mere viewer, detached and distant, watching the scene unfold in front of him. But he was concerned, not for himself, but for his father. It took years before his father managed to step out of the dark rut he fell into when Cedric's mother died. Will he make it out this time around? There will be no one to help him anymore. He will be all alone. Wife and son, both murdered by Death Eaters.

He did not trust his own legs to hold, but somehow they did, and he stood resolute in the middle of the chaos. Calm and ready, he raised his wand.

A touch of skin grazed his ankle. Shadows spun all around him. Leaves crunched under heavy feet. Then there was only darkness and silence.

Author's Indulgent Babbling:

Yes! First chapter done! I've been working on this entire thing for more than three months now, and it feels great to have something that I'm confident enough to upload. I'm actually already working on Chapter 9, so I expect to have regular updates in the coming weeks.

I realized that the Cedric-Viktor pairing isn't really all that popular, but I went with it anyway because I wanted to explore what happens beyond the book's protagonists. I think we never really got to concretizing the menace of Voldemort's rule, save for glimpses like Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. There are a wealth of events happening behind Harry's story, and I wanted to flesh that out.

But why these two characters in particular? Because they seemed really one-sided in the books, and I felt that there was so much more to them!

~And also because both actors are so very handsome~

This is officially my first ever fanfiction. I hope you like it!